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To answer the question the kiri-gyuto is very usefull depending on what technique you use to cut with. If you primarily rock chop it isn't going to be great for you. If you do mostly push cuts similar to those done with usuba or Kiritsuke on veg then it is very useful. Basically it is a flatter profiled gyuto so if a flatter edge fits what you do then its great for you if you prefer or need more belly don't get one.

Aesthetics aside I love the flatter profiles and find no drawbacks to having one. Adjustments might need to be made but you'll find that with every knife especially if you are looking to keep a small kit. If more makers made flatter profiles on gyutos without the sword tip then I would be inclined to give them more of a look. As it is besides looking awesome for me it is a functional difference that I like and look for in my knives. I also have a single bevel Kiritsuke and Usuba and between the
Kiritsuke and Usuba my regular shaped gyuto is the least used knife in my kit. I had been working in a Japanese kitchen until last weekend so I'm sure that contributed to the decline of my gyuto use, but we'll see if the trend is able to continue once I find a new spot to work at.
Sorry to bring this back but I just saw it and wanted to add my 2 cents

IMO, the kensaki gyutos (thanks for that Jon) are good at veggie prep when you have larger/longer items without the thicker skins. They also work well in mincing a boat load of herbs such as cilantro or parsley when using a hammer cut all over the board as they tend to be really thin and can get sharp which will help in minimizing the bruising of the herbs (though your edge is going to pay the price for such a use).

I've got one and it's pretty limited because of the extremely flat profile coupled with the very thin blade. I've got to force myself to use it over the other blades in my kit, but it does have a cool factor in terms of the aesthetics.

Personally, I think a true kiritsuke would have more applications due to the thicker blade. (I keep eyeballing that Suisin Densyo on Jon's site.)

IMO, the kensaki gyutos... I've got one and it's pretty limited because of the extremely flat profile coupled with the very thin blade. I've got to force myself to use it over the other blades in my kit, but it does have a cool factor in terms of the aesthetics.

Personally, I think a true kiritsuke would have more applications due to the thicker blade. (I keep eyeballing that Suisin Densyo on Jon's site.)

Personally I don't understand how people see these as limited it is a gyuto after all. Perhaps using it has just become second nature to me and my cutting techniques are such as to make the most of the shape. I don't quite understand how thicker skins make a difference with the kensaki gyuto.

As for the single bevels having more uses due to thicker blade this is actually not quite true. It wouldn't be good for splitting sweet potato or any sort of squash although slicing sweet potato into planks of whatever width for tempura the kiritsuke and usuba are awesome at that. At least I find them awesome at it after years of use I certainly didn't at first

There really aren't limits to what a kensaki gyuto vs traditional gyuto can do just depends n the user and technique and realizing the different profile requitres a different approach